Apparatus for feeding, positioning, and discharging metal blanks



Oct. 7, 1930. E. E. JOHNS'ON I APPARATUS FOR FEEDING, POSITIONING, AND DISCHARGING METAL BLANKS Filed April 9, 1924 5 Sheets-Sheet l I NO- ve-l- INvE/VTOR EDWARD E JbHA/soM 5 1% A 7' TORNEYT E. E. JOHNSON 1,778,005

Filed April 9, 1924 s Sheets-Sheet 2 N E E Um .m Om 0Q 3 w 8 0- n no on m 3 0- o n0 m0 o: u: om Mfi we. #2 mm .v. w: vw lnltllnll l||l|||| Oct. 7, 1930;

APPARATUS FOR FEEDING, POSITIONING, AND DISCHARGING METAL BLANKS I l I l l l I I l l l 5 I I/vwswTo/i: v EDWARD E Jim/v60 BY M/ m ATTORNEYS.

APPARATUS FQR FEEDING, POSITIONING, AND DISCHARGiNG METAL BLANKS Filed April 9, 1924 E. JOHNSON 1,778,005

5 Sheets-Sheet. 3

I /v vlv TOR: EDWARD E. JEDHNSOM A TTORIVEY-S BYWAZZAZ Oct. 7, 1930. 1,778,005

APPARATUS FOR FEEDING, POSITIONING, AND mscmmeme METAL BLANKS E. E. JOHNSON Filed April 9, 11924 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR: I Envy/R0 E (7bH/vso/v. BY M121 Arron/van.

Oct. 7, 1930. E. E. JOHNSON APPARATUS FOR FEEDING, POSITIONING, AND DISCHARGING METAL BLANKS Filed April 9, 1924 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 ZNVENTOR' 5 EDWARD E. Jbmvsolv.

I so

A T romvs Y8.

way into the vertical guide chamber.

A succession of heated blanks B coming. from the furnace 12 pass down the slideway' by gravity and are let off one at a time into the chamber between the vertical guide fingers by the mechanism now to'be described. -The' plunger 83 reciprocates vertically in guides 84 and 86 carried by the frame and has threepurposes: to push into positionwith exactness the top of a blank beneath it as B in Fig. 7; to. act as a valve to check the moves mentof the string of blanks B inthe slideway as shown in Fig. 7 and at theproper time to release the lower blank from the slide The plunger 83 has a block 88 threaded thereon for adjustment and to which the inner end of a lever 90 is attached by a Scotch yoke havingsliding blocks 91 as shown in Fig. 6

to provide for the swinging movement of the lever which is intermediately pivoted at 92. The lever 9O .is pivotally attached at its outer end to a collar 93 slidableon the upper end of. a. vertical rod 94 and engaged by a spring I 96" which surrounds this rod. The rod 94 is pivotally attached at its lower end to one of a'lever 98 whose other end is pivotally at- Itached to theframeat the point indicated- 100. An intermediate portion of the lever 98 carries a cam roller 102 which rests upon the periphery of a profile cam-104 which is secured to the shaft 22 as shown in Fig. 4.

When the cam 104 moves from the position shown in Fig. 3 to that shown in Fig. 5, the

' plunger 83 is moved from the position shown. in 2 to'that shown in Fig. 7. Since the upper endof the spring 96 engages the collar 93 it will be understood that in case the I plunger 83 encounters an obstructlon, the

spring will be'compressed and there will be: noliability of breaking. any oflthe parts.

' The roller 102 is maintained in contact with the-'cam 104 by a spring 105 attached to the. lever-98 and a-convenient part of the frame. Attached to the block 88 is a projection 106 which whent-heplunger 83 is moved from p the position shown in Fig. 2 to that shown in Fig. .7

ner end of a bent arm 110 pivoted at 112 to the support-20.. The outerend of the arm 110 engages the underside of a projection 114 carried by the outer end of a gravity bar 116 'whose inner end is pivoted to the guide 86.

will be apparent from Fig. .2, the bar 116 nearits' pivoted end normally rests upon the,

engages a projection 108 on the inlowermost blank thus restrainin the series 'of blanks from further movement downward ly. When the plunger descends as shown in' Fig. 7, the gravity bar 116 is lifted and the string of blanks is permitted to have a sliding movement downwardly and is arrested by the lowermost blank strlklng against the side of the valveor plunger 83 in which posltion the lowermost blank is beyond the reach of the gravity bar 116 as shown in Fig. 9, and is ready to be released into the vertical guide chamberand underneath the plunger 83 by the further upward movementof said plunger to the position shown'inFig. 2. When the plunger 83 rises, the bar 116 engages the next blank as shown in Fig. 9 before the plunger 83 is lifted completely above the lowermost blank. As soon as the plunger 83h as completed its upward movement and is in the position shown in Figs. 2 and 4, thelower most blank-which has been previously released from the bar 116 drops intovertical 1 position under the plunger 83 upon the top of the coupling C which has just been pressed into shape by the dies. This coupling when the dies areretracted, continues to rest upon the top of a previously formed coupling which 1s held between a palr of cooperating jaws 118 and 120 comprising the-discharge passageway and pivoted to frame members at 122 and 124 to thelower ends'of which are secured outwardly extending rods 126 and 128 held upwardly by springs 130 an 132 so or 83. descends the last mentioned coupling is pushed out of thejaws, the coupling last formed between the dies is pushedrbetween the jaws, andthe blank superposed on the last formed coupling moved into position be-' tween the dies as will be apparentfrom Fig.

4. Exact positioning ofthe blank to be operated on is of prime importancev and this is secured by the plunger. 83 pushing the top of the blank down to a fixed position while the frictional hold of the discharge jaws provides the adjustment necessary to accommodate blanks of varying lengths; The rods 126 and 128 of discharge jaws 118, and 120 beside providing means of attaching the springs 130 and 132 serve as handles so that when depressed manually against the action of said springs the discharge jaws open and release freely the blank between them and those superimposed thereon, as may from or cold blanks. As shown in Fig. 6, the throat 134 ofthe discharge jaws 118 and 120 is made conical so that the jaws are forced open without jamming whenempty by the 1i first blank to descend between them. It will be understood that the cam 104 and the ec-' centrics 38, 40, etc. are so timed relatively to ,each other that the dies are in retracted positionwhen the plunger 83 is lowered and the that the coupling last referred to is held'frictionallybetween the j aws- When the plung-- 1oo .120 time to time be necessary to remove defective dies are advanced slightly before the upward movement of the plunger begins.

The operation and advantages of my invention have been quite fully stated in connection with the foregoing description. The blanks may be fed into the slideway in any convenient manner. workman to move themby a hooked rod from the furnace on to the metal apron from which they slide into the upper end of the slide- 7 previously finished article from said passageway.

2. In apparatus for feeding and discharging metal blanks, the combination of a guide chamber for receiving blanks, a die chamber and a discharge passageway successively in 'alinement' with each other, a slideway for blanks leading into said guide chamber, means for releasing blanks one at a time from said slideway into said guide chamber, and a plunger working in said guide chamber to push a finished article from said die chamber into said passageway and thereby eject a previously finished article from said passageway.

3. In apparatus for feeding and discharging metal blanks, the combination of a die chamber and a discharge passageway in alinement with each other and a plunger which is reciprocated to push a finished article from said die chamber into said passageway and hereby eject a previously finished article from said passageway.

feeding and dischargthe combination of means for operating on the blanks to finish the same, a discharge passageway adjacent thereto, and a plunger which is reciprocated to push a finished article from said finishing means into said passageway and thereby eject a previously finished artlcle from said 4:. In apparatus for ing I metal blanks,

- passageway.

5. In apparatus for feeding and discharging metal blanks, the combination of means 7 for operating on the blanks to finish the same,

ing metal blanks, the combination of means One method is for a for operating on the blanks to finish the same, a discharge passageway adjacent thereto, and a plunger which is reciprocated to position one end of the blanks with relation to said finishing means and to push a finished article from said finishing means into said passageway whereby said finished article constitutes a movable abutment for the other end of the blanks.

7. In apparatus for feeding and discharging metal blanks, the combination of a guide chamber, a die chamber and a discharge passageway successively in alinement with each other, means for supplying blanks one at a time to said guide chamber, and a plunger working in said guide chamber to push a blank therefrom into said die chamber and to push a finished article from said die chamher into said passageway and thereby eject the previously finished article from said passageway.

8. In apparatus for feeding metal blanks, the combination of a guide chamber for receiving blanks, a die chamber, a frictional holding device for articles finished in said die chamber, said guide chamber, die chamher and holding device being successively in alinement, and a plunger working in said guide chamber and cooperating with the blank which is being fed thereby and with a finished article in said die chamber to eject a previously finished article from said holding device.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aifix my signature.

EDWARD E. JOHNSON. 

